The Night Game – A Scary Sleepover Story

The curtain was open, but I could not see anything past the pitch black essence of the night. The only sound passing through the air was the sound of thousands of rain drops kissing the ground outside.

The darkness was only occasionally interrupted by a flash of lightning, as if someone were taking photographs to capture this moment of suffering for all eternity. There was evil in the town of Riverdale.

I was sitting with my three friends in a circle. There was Laura, a pretty girl who walked around acting like she was the goddess of beauty Aphrodite, and should be worshipped as such. There was Michael, a shy but kind lad who loved to tinker with computers.

There was Theresa, the small host of our party that had a big heart for games. There was me of course, the always articulate Robert. Theresa noticed our growing boredom as the night went on. “How about we play a game?” She suggested.

“I think that would be splendid Theresa,” I replied, “What game do you have in mind?” “How about truth or dare?” She asked.

Laura sneered, “No way. The boys will probably try to dare me to get naked or something. Can’t say I blame them though.”

I simply rolled my eyes and then a thought came to my mind. “May I suggest something Theresa?” I asked.

“Sure,” She said.

“I have an interesting game in mind. It is called ‘The Wanderer’,” I said.

“Oh it is really quite simple,” I replied, “We will sit together in a circle and I will perform the spell that will summon the Wanderer. He is a being made out of the darkness within those who summon him. He will wander the house searching for us. The person that makes it until morning is the winner.”

Theresa looked a little skeptical. “Is there really a Wanderer?” She asked.

“Oh absolutely,” I said, “Just perform the ritual with me and we see for yourselves.”

“Sounds ridiculous,” Laura said.

I looked over at Michael who had been quiet most of the evening. “What do you think Michael?” I asked.

He blushed slightly and turned his head so he could avert direct eye contact. “I’ll play Robert,” He said.

Theresa was still skeptical, but she never could turn down the thrill of a game. Even one that seemed silly. She said, “Let’s do it! A good game could bring this party back to life.” Laura looked annoyed, but then again anything that is not about her annoys her.

So we held hands and I recited the “ancient words”. I said, “Inside every being there is a fog. A mist that keeps us from seeing. A darkness that hides the evil. A night that turns us into wanderers. Just as we wander in our minds, we wander in this world. Searching for reason, for purpose, for love, for knowledge, for eternity.

We now banish that darkness from within us, so that it may take a physical form, from which we can escape.” Thunder boomed as I finished, making every one jump up from where they were sitting. We all looked around and saw nothing. Laura laughed.

“I knew this as stupid,” She said.

Michael looked around nervously and said, “I got to go to the bathroom. Be right back.”

Theresa had a look of disappointment on her face. “Well that killed about five minutes,” She said, “Let’s play a board game.” Theresa left and came back with Chutes and Ladders.

As she set up the board, we heard Michael let out a powerful scream that seemed to shake the room. The three of us ran to the bathroom to see what was the matter. Theresa knocked on the door.

“Michael,” She said, “What happened?”

There was no answer. Laura was looking irritated.

“He is obviously trying to scare us,” She said.

Theresa did not look so sure. She got behind me and pushed me towards the door. She said, “Robert you check it out. If the Wanderer is real I don’t want to get caught and lose.”

I sarcastically replied, “Nice to know my safety is not as important as winning a game.”

“Just go,” She said.

I opened the door slightly and went inside. The bathroom was empty and the window was slightly opened. Laura looked. “He probably went outside and planned to sneak back in and scare us,” She said.

“That or something climbed in the window and got him when he was vulnerable,” I replied.

“Don’t be stupid,” She said.

Then there was a sound in the garage. Theresa looked more collected now.

“You are probably right Laura. Let’s go get Michael,” She said.

The three of us walked to the garage. Theresa opened the door and stepped in first this time. She flipped the switch and saw something unspeakable. Michael appeared to be lying on the floor with a knife in his chest. Laura and Theresa screamed.

Then, a male figure rushed past me and grabbed the girl’s hands. His body was as pitch black as the night. Theresa screamed again and Laura fainted. Then suddenly I began to laugh, followed by the Wanderer, and Michael who sat up and pulled the fake knife out of his shirt.

Theresa looked around confused and then began to laugh. “The Wanderer” pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be my cousin Howard. Michael, Howard, and I had planned the whole thing. I would perform the ritual.

Michael would sneak out the bathroom window after he screamed, making me Laura, and Theresa, go check. Michael would then go to the garage and set up his fake murder, all the while making noise so we would leave the bathroom and go check the garage.

Howard, in a black body suit, would sneak through the open bathroom window and surprise the girls after we saw Michael “dead”. Theresa said,

Strangers at the Door

Have you ever heard of the BEK? I swear, I had never heard of them before this happened, three years ago. Now, everybody talks about them, but my friends and I were some of the first to actually see them.

Four of us were having a sleepover at my friend Alicia’s house. Alicia and I knew each other from third grade, when she moved to my town. The other two kids, Andrea and Marcie, I only met in middle school.

We all were sophomores at Scotts Valley High. It was a normal sleepover. We ate pizza in Alicia’s room, and then we put Cabin in the Woods in her DVD player. We were startled when her mom knocked on the door and said she was going to the store.

She told us not to open the door to anyone, and of course we said we wouldn’t. The minute she left, though, we heard the doorbell. Alicia said, “Oh she forgot her keys. She always does.”

We all went down together, because it was dark, and the wind was whooshing around the house. They live in the redwoods, and her house is sort of isolated. Her front door has glass panels that let you see who’s out there. Of course, they can see you, too.

Fortunately, we turned on the porch light and looked before we opened the door. Outside were two kids about our age, a boy and a girl. They looked normal and were dressed right, but they felt all wrong.

Just as I thought that, the boy looked right at me, through the glass. His eyes were completely black, no white at all. I jerked back. At the same time, Alicia said, “Oh the poor things,” and started to open the door.

“No!” Marcie said. “Don’t do it.” She pulled Allie away from the door. Allie actually fought with her. And I put the chain on the door. Then Marcie and I hustled Allie upstairs. Andrea trailed along behind saying, “What, what is it?” We got Alicia settled.

Marcie is from San Francisco and has had plenty of scary experiences. She went down alone and locked the door to the garage. She came scurrying back up, and we all sat together, close, “It was the Black Eyed kids,” Marcie said, “I know it was.”

Then we heard the front door open! Marcie braced herself against the bedroom door. “Hey kids, I got ice cream.” It was Mrs. Kent. “Oh, no thanks,” Allie called out. “We’re going to sleep now.” Marcie moved away from the door and Mrs. Kent came in and stood over us.

“Are you watching a scary movie? You look terrified.”

“Yeah mom.” Allie said.

“We’ll take it out. Did you lock the doors?”

“Of course I did sweetie. Don’t I always?”

“Yes Mom.”

“Okay, well sleep tight. Goodnight girls.” She finally left. We arranged our sleeping bags in a tight row, Marie closest to the door and me closest to the windows, and turned out the lights.

Strangely, we all fell asleep almost immediately. And I dreamed that the window slid up, and the two kids slipped into the room. They stood over us, and a cold green light swirled around them, and swirled down and down into darkness. After that, I don’t remember.